"From Wyoming to Himalayan meditation caves to Capitol Hill, [Matteo] Pistono's account of his quest for spiritual illumination and political justice is heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. Pistono, raised with the belief that social activism is a core responsibility, began traveling to Tibet in 1999, motivated, in part, by his fascination with Tertön Sogyal, a 19th-century mystic and 'Tibet's great champion and protector.' Pistono follows in Tertön Sogyal's footsteps while telling the mystic's astonishing story, from his father's insistence that he join a band of highway robbers to serving as teacher to the XIII Dalai Lama and guiding Tibet through political turmoil and the intrusion of British forces. Traveling as both a journalist and a Buddhist pilgrim, Pistono also found himself at the crossroads of spirituality and politics when he was asked to serve as a human-rights courier, carrying to the West hard evidence of China's systematic brutality in occupied Tibet. Pistono tells chilling cloak-and-dagger tales and offers mesmerizing descriptions of haunting landscapes and miracle-performing lamas. But what shimmers most in this riveting and mysterious chronicle, which includes a foreword by Tibet activist Richard Gere, is the courage of those dedicated to 'the Dalai Lama's vision for real autonomy and religious freedom in Tibet through nonviolent means'."—Booklist (starred review)